Maximum Tension in the Belt

While the centrifugal tension σcf${\sigma }_{cf}$ acts equally throughout the belt during operation and the quasi-static tensions σt${\sigma }_t$ and σs${\sigma }_s$ are only present to this extent in the corresponding belt sections, the bending stress acts only during rotation around pulleys, with the largest bending stress acting on the smaller drive pulley (see figure above).

The maximum belt stress therefore occurs on the slack side, where the belt runs onto the smaller of the two pulleys (provided that the smaller of the two pulleys is the drive pulley, otherwise the greatest bending stress would be present when the belt runs off).

The maximum belt stress σmax${\sigma }_{max}$ results from the sum of the tight side stress σt${\sigma }_t$, the centrifugal stressσcf${\sigma }_{cf}$ and the bending stress σb${\sigma }_b$. The dimensioning of the belt depends on this maximum stress. Always ensure that the maximum permissible belt stressσper${\sigma }_{per}$ (allowable belt stress) is not exceeded.